The packing industry is renowned for the back injuries and muscle strains that often afflict its laborers and packers. Improvements geared toward the ergonomics of motion are often overlooked where manual laborers are concerned. The current invention is related to the field of skid wrapping which is integral to the freight or packing and shipping industries.
None of the relevant art, consisting of plastic wrap devices for wrapping “skids”, have resolved the need for the operator to wrap skids from an awkward, bent over position, that generally puts strain on the spinal alignment and other muscles. Furthermore, smaller loads, which are too low to manipulate, also pose safety risks for the designated wrappers; although this type of load is generally placed on a forklift or electric lift to increase accessibility, the skid wrappers must often pass their arms and sometimes head beneath the skid in order to completely wrap the goods.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,513 issued to Twyman Guard on Sep. 14, 1977 describes a hand-held apparatus which is used to wrap plastic stretch film around an object. Unlike the present invention, Guard's device has a short handle which still requires the laborer to enter into awkward and possibly dangerous situations in order to surround the object with this film material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,951 issued to Paul K. Riemenschneider, III on Aug. 20, 1985 describes an object useful in wrapping objects with a stretch film as well. This device, however, involves a mechanism in which a film roll with a tubular rigid core is clamped in between a pair of opposed core holders. A tension control assembly between the core and the core holders is responsible for adjustment of tension in the wrap during the wrapping process. Unlike the present invention, Riemenschneider's device does not provide an easier method to wrap the object which is beneficial to the health and safety of the laborer. Due to the design of the present invention, a user may wrap well above and below regular reach eliminating undue tension from bending and standing on toes to reach low and high objects respectively.